Village Gamer

Calgary – iStockphoto, the world’s leading royalty-free stock destination, today announced the nine winners of its Punctum Day competition, now in its third year. Punctum Day celebrates creative excellence and the profound emotional impact a truly great work of art can have on its audience. Finalists were chosen by the user-generated community of more than 6 million iStock members and the winners were determined by an international panel of judges.

This year’s categories included best photo, vector, video, Flash™ and design of the year with audio included for the first time. The top 10 finalists from each category were selected from a pool of more than 1.75 million entries. The panel of judges included Chris and Trish Meyer, founders of Crish Design; Russell Brown, senior creative director at Adobe Systems; and Scott Kelby, publisher and co-founder of Photoshop User Magazine, editor-in-chief of Layers magazine and host of Photoshop User TV. Each winner will receive a cash prize of $5,000.

iStockphoto Punctum Day Winners:

Photo of the year – Vladimir Piskunov (member name: piskunov), Russia, Full Moon Is Calling

Video of the year – David Baumber (member name: multifocus), UK, Busy Office Frozen in Time

Vector of the year – Brian Smith (member name: scargut), United States, The Vlad Supper

Audio of the year – Alexander Maas (member name: -MUX-), Germany, Siberia

Flash of the year – Holger Bogen (member name: holgerbogen), Germany, Computer Hacker

Design of the Year – Adrian Foster (member name: vsdesign), UK, Jonathan Trumbull & Hatters homepage design

The iStockphoto inspection team named Kurt Paris (member name: paris), United Kingdom, as the most improved contributor and Luis Sandoval Mandujano (member name: erlucho), Chile, as the most deserving of new equipment. Paris will receive a USD $5,000 cash prize and Mandujano will receive $5,000 in new equipment. Jamie Carroll, (member name: jc_design) was named winner of the “Steel Cage – 2009 Battle Royale” competition and will also take home $5,000.

Hall of Fame:

The iStockphoto Hall of Fame spotlights members who have left an indelible stamp on the history of the company. iStock founder Bruce Livingstone left the organization earlier this year. His ideas, passion and commitment created more than just a company – they created an industry. His commitment to the iStock community provided the foundation on which the company continues to grow. It is only fitting that Bruce be given a position of honor in the iStockphoto hall of fame.

Vernon – A new service has opened its BETA to the public today expecting to forever change the way websites are created. installAll.net is the first site of its kind to offer a database of fully automated script installations and upgrades, including one-click modification and template installations, completely free. With more than 300 scripts in its database–from shopping carts to customer relationship managers–installAll.net helps reduce the time it takes for web developers to create a website.

Its list of free features continues with unlimited installations to unlimited domains, compatibility with nearly all web hosting companies, no required branding or advertising, excellent speed and security, and more.

“As a web developer, I know the value of this service. I know the time and effort web developers will save by using this tool,” says Dan Nelson, president and CEO. “Plus, we’ve made the site so easy to use that even someone with no web development experience can create a fully functioning website in less than five minutes.”

The database of free scripts, modifications and templates they offer will continuously grow. “We already have dedicated staff managing the applications from developers and I think there will be an increasing interest in contributing works for installation using our service,” says Nelson. installAll.net does not charge developers to contribute free scripts that are open-source to its database.

installAll.net is a web-based service designed for experienced and amateur web developers alike. Based out of Vernon B.C., the company is committed to community investment and expects to donate more than 20 percent of its profits to local charitable organizations.

Vancouver – 3D3 Solutions, a cutting-edge developer of 3D scanning technologies, announced today the launch of FlexScan3D 2.5 , the latest version of its 3D scanning software. New features and upgrades reduce scan editing time while providing high quality results.

“The best way to improve a product is to listen to your customers,” said Thomas Tong, President of 3D3

Split Scan Mode

Solutions. “FlexScan3D 2.5’s new features and upgrades are a direct response to customers’ feedback and needs.”

FlexScan3D 2.5 new features include:

* New Split Scan mode: The new mode captures more data by scanning two sides of an object simultaneously and automatically merges the coverage area for more complete results. Ideal for face and foot scanning.

* Mesh alignment and merging tool: Users can skip the process of importing scans into third-party 3D scan data processing software with FlexScan3D’s alignment and merging capabilities.

* Supports 360° scanning with rotary table (sold separately): Automates the process of performing multiple scans of a single object and automatically aligns the scans to form a 360 model.

Upgrades to FlexScan3D help produce higher quality scans than its predecessor including higher accuracy single scanner calibration and advance color scan support.

FlexScan3D software is offered at $1,699 USD. 3D3 Solutions’ all-in-one HDI 3D Scanners are powered by FlexScan3D and start at $3,999 USD. These products can be ordered today at 3D3 Solutions website.

Montreal – Well-known British humorist and author Danny Wallace will be cast as one of the key roles in Ubisoft’s upcoming title Assassin’s Creed 2. The voice and likeness of Wallace will be cast for the character of Shaun Hastings. A pivotal character in the game, Shaun will serve as a historian, guide and source of information for the player as he proceeds through the game.

Danny Wallace is most recognized as the author of critically acclaimed books including Join Me and Yes Man. The latter was turned into a Hollywood movie starring Jim Carey in 2008, whilst more recently this year his latest book Friends Like These has been released in paperback. In recent years, Danny has also been involved in a variety of different ‘projects’ from searching the globe for robots and creating his own country in central London, to more sedate celebrity activity such as appearing on the Jonathan Ross show and writing a regular column for award-winning lifestyle magazine ShortList.

“When the UK suggested Danny to us, we were completely open to the idea. Danny has been fantastic to work with, and his manner and particular style of humor has worked out perfect for the role of Shaun” said script writer Corey May. Speaking on his own involvement in the game, Wallace said “Going right back to my days of working on Sega Power, I’ve always been a keen gamer, and being involved – and actually being in a game like Assassin’s Creed II is amazing! I have to say, I’m rather excited”